Development and Validation of Self-screening Tool for Nutrition Risk in Patients With Gastric Cancer After Gastrectomy: A STUDY PROTOCOL

Background: The incidence of malnutrition in patients with gastric cancer after surgery is 59%. The main reason for the high incidence of malnutrition is untimely nutrition screening and low compliance with nutrition treatment. In order to enable home patients to know their nutritional status in time, we have developed and validated nutritional risk screening tools for patients with gastric cancer to help patients’ at home find nutritional risks in time and seek medical help. This article introduces the development and verification methods and statistical methods of the tool.Methods: The development of self-nutrition risk screening tool for patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy (SNRSGC) is divided into four parts：Steps1Identification of a potential referred nutritional risk screening; Steps2Item generation and scoring are selected through literature review methods to screen sensitive indicators that can reflect the nutritional characteristics of patients after gastric cancer surgery, establish the frame and update according to the latest guidelines ；Steps3Item reduction is determined by the rating of SNRSGC items by an expert panel and piloting method to determine the final item; Steps4 In the validation stage, we conducted research design based on the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments checklist to evaluate the content validity, structure validity, interpretability, and retest validity of SNRSGC.Discussion: SNRSGC is the first screening tool specifically to predict nutrition risk for stay-at-home postoperative patients with gastric cancer.SNRSGC may provide action guidelines and knowledge guidance for patients with gastric cancer at home.Trial registration: Identifier on Chinese Clinical Trials Registry : ChiCTR2100041809 , registered January 06, 2021.